Gov. Chris Christie told Meet the Press’s David Gregory this morning that President Obama has to take the lead on debt talks, and that there is no substitute for sitting in a room with Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Reid. Comparing the situation to his own successful push to reform pensions in New Jersey, Christie said”

“I think if you’re the executive, you’ve got to be the guy who’s out there pushing and leading. You can’t lay back and wait for somebody else to do it. And I think if the president’s made a mistake here, it’s this laid-back kind of approach where he’s waiting for someone else to solve the problem.”

“What I found for New Jersey was there is no substitute for the three leaders in the room having to look at each other and having to hash this out,” he added.

Christie also said he believed it was possible for Republicans and Democrats to compromise on tax issues without either side violat[ing] their principles.”